As the midday winter sun rose to its zenith, lounging low in the southeast sky, Yue looked up and imagined fiery Thaytear gliding through the sky, weaving threads of light emanating from his body high in the clouds to give them precious rays of daylight. Mischievous but humble servant of the Mother.

"What're you stoning for, hotshot?" Kelia came over, rubbing her behind where she fell out of the circle during her bout with Tian Feng. It was a drawn out battle, with both girls fumbling behind their blindfolds for the first five minutes. The next five was an intense mix of hand to hand combat and weaving. Tian Feng came away with scratches on her arms and face from the birds that Kelia commanded, while Tian Feng delivered some of her own bruising hits on Kelia's arms with her blunt tipped steel knives.

"I don't have much to pack." Yue gestured at her satchel on the forest floor, then glanced at the others with their meditation objects. Master Jun stood a distance away, smoothening out the forest floor with brief glances. Looking at the fading circle, Yue could still feel the residual excitement and trepidation from before.

Yue secretly attempted to re-enter the state she was thrust in during her spar with Fu-er as the subsequent combat rounds proceeded. That glimmering monochrome world stayed tantalizingly just outside of her grasp. All that remained as she switched to thread sight were the lackluster colored threads she was used to. And a splitting headache. She frowned and rubbed her head between her brows.

"How's your bruises, Kel?" Yue asked the older girl, who was subconsciously rubbing at her shoulders.

"Well, let's just say that I'm awfully glad Feng is only allowed blunt steel in that circle. That girl has too much holy passion for the Scripture and bootlicking for someone with such a mean streak." Kelia grimaced in pain as she rubbed on a particularly sore spot. "Too much muscle too."

Just then, a garrison runner leapt down nimbly from a nearby branch, riding the wind threads with ease. Dressed in the garrison's camouflage green uniform cinched at the wrists and ankles, the runner walked towards Master Jun with the grace of a jungle cat. He bowed and pulled his face cover off, holding up a rolled up scroll in both hands.

The messenger stepped close to the master and relayed his message. Master Jun's eyes widened fractionally. He paused, then replied softly and gave a nod in dismissal. The runner bowed, adjusted his face cover and took a running leap towards the tree line. All Yue could see of his face was the glow of his dark brown eyes. As he jumped upwards towards the branches, the fabric around his legs fluttered vigorously from the rings of wind sheathing the his ankles. Come and gone with the wind, Yue thought enviously. Literally.

She and Kelia looked towards Fu-er. She stared after the runner with such open longing Yue felt like an uninvited voyeur. Everyone knew Fu-er's dream was to be part of the Imperial Army's messenger spy contingent. 

The Wind Runners, Yue recalled, or so was the universal moniker of the Imperial thirty-seventh weaver contingent.

With her grandfather's connections, she would've been well on her way to becoming a full fledged member. If not for her grandfather himself who didn't think much of women in the army.

They gathered in neat rows of two in front of Master Jun as he read the scroll with Concubine Shu's wax seal. His eyebrows creased slightly. A short moment later, he rolled the scroll up and addressed the students.

"It seems that the Villa will be receiving two royal processions this coming few days. I'm sure all of you are very excited, but remember to report to your respective masters and mistresses for your daily tasks. Apprentice Mu Zeng, remember to submit your copies of the Scripture before the seventh eve. Dismissed."

The excitement amongst the students was palpable as they trudged back to the Imperial Villa. Even Zeng wasn't immune to the curiosity and anticipation. Yue glanced back towards the river where Master Jun stood with a pensive expression, eyes on the water but gaze cast inwards.

"Two royal parties! Do you reckon either one will be from the Palace?" Kerk's animated voice pulled Yue's attention back, his excitement infectious.

"Do you remember Aunt Yura, from the Palace kitchens? I read from her letters to mother last week that His Majesty is sending some of the lesser advisors out to all the concubine's villas to announce the invitations for the annual Moon Festival," Rien said from beside Kerk.

"But Concubine Shu usually turns down the invitations. I wonder why they even bother anymore." Mu Zeng said from the front.

Rien shrugged. "I don't know, but Emperor Ka Long seems pretty adamant about all the royal relatives' attendance this year."

Yue thought of Ye Yang in the capital, and Prince Yin Long. She gave a dreamy sigh. "I wonder who's coming to Tyrmal."

"I hope they don't send as many as last year. We had to clean thirty guest rooms last year twice every morning and eve. Concubine Shu even had the spare pavilions opened to accommodate Lady Yol-Min's entourage." Xu Jing groaned.

Kelia did a happy wiggle as she walked. "I hope Lieutenant Ye comes. I mean," she blushed, "I'm sure I'm not the only one excited. I was pretty sure I caught Feng staring after him forlornly during his last visit."

"I was looking at his sword!" Tian Feng sputtered. "It's made by the finest craftsmen in Vyrnos. Rumor has it Master Cang Deng of the Royal Smithy made it himself."

Fu-er turned around to give Tian Feng her most deadpan expression. "Be honest, Feng." She paused and took a breath. "Which sword of his were you looking at?"

Tian Feng blushed a furious red. All the girls giggled while Guan and Kerk rolled their eyes. Mu Zeng looked at Fu-er and went pink at his ears.

Their banter continued till they reached the ornate gates of the Villa, where they dispersed to attend to their chores as apprentices. Yue waved at the others and walked towards the stables with Kelia. Kerk stood by the gate with Rien, giving her a shy peck on the cheek in farewell. Rien blushed and ran towards the main pavilion where the kitchens were.

Kerk stared after her for a minute before bounding over to Yue and Kelia. "You guys didn't wait?"

"And have to witness you and Rien mentally doing illegal things to each other? Brother, why would I subject myself to that?"

Kerk swatted at Kelia.

The stablehands had already mucked out the stalls when the twenty odd war stallions were out with the garrisoned forces during their morning training. The three of them had just put down their satchels in the abutting storehouse when the horses were led back in.

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"Morning, father!" Kerk and Kelia ran towards Stable Master Jotun and bowed briefly with wide smiles. Strolling casually through the stable doors with a fearsome pegasus, dressed in the black armor of the elite Imperial Army with gold embroidery around his shoulders and arms, Royal Beast Weaver Ning Xiao bit on an apple and fed the rest to his restless steed.

"Father!" Yue ran over to where he stood with Master Jotun. Her father's eyes crinkled when he saw her, reaching out to ruffle her head affectionately. Yue took Yirlhil's reins from him and stroked his snout in greeting. He nickered and bumped her hand.

"Morning, moonlight. How was weaving practice?"

"It was...not bad." Yue bit her lip. She still wasn't sure what to make of her earlier experience.

Kelia clapped Yue on the back. "Not bad? She was amazing, Uncle Ning! Master Jun had us blindfold ourselves during combat practice, and -"

"And she practically backflipped Chen Fu-er into the next continent, sir." Kerk interjected excitedly.

What? Yue grimaced at the twins. "I just suddenly had this new awareness of my surroundings, and my body knew what to do from there. That's all."

She didn't want to make a big deal out of this anymore than her friends had, not until she figured out what happened. And more importantly, to practice and be sure she could actually replicate the miracle again.

Master Jotun knocked the twins on their heads with his free hand, the horses beside him snorting in annoyance. "You two have got to stop making up stories and making others feel uncomfortable."

Kerk and Kelia raised their arms to protect themselves and massaged their heads indignantly.

Yue's father's expression remained neutral, but his shrewd eyes scrutinized her.

"Next continent, eh? I’d better not get on my daughter's nerves then, since her temper isn't known to be the best."

"Father!" Yue said, exasperated. Kerk and Kelia sniggered while Master Jotun rolled his eyes. Ning Xiao gave his daughter a small smile and shrugged in his armor.

"Well, all's good that end's good. I'm going to change out of my armor back in our room, moonlight. I'll be in the main pavilion with Shu for the rest of the day to entertain Lady Pan-rin's party. After that we will have to welcome the royal procession and throw a banquet at sup tonight." He gave the three of them a knowing smile.

"With the attendance later this eve, I'm sure the three of you will want to be at the main gates when the procession makes their way in. Better work hard and work fast, apprentices." He winked at them and patted Yirlhil on his graceful neck. Turning to give a nod of farewell to Master Jotun, Yue's father turned and left the stables.

Yue exchanged glances with the other two, taking a step towards her father.

"Wait, who's coming later? Father!" Yue called out to his retreating back.

"Make sure to clean out Yirlhil's hooves! I think some mud caked in there just now." He called back without turning around, lifting his right hand in a lazy wave.

Kerk and Kelia took the reins that their father was holding and looked at him questioningly. Master Jotun stroked his stubbled chin and looked thoughtful. "If the three of you will scrub out the water troughs and check on the hay stores today, maybe I'll tell you before the rest of your friends gets the scoop first."

"But we did that just three days ago!" Kelia said.

"I like my horses having clean water. Off with you lot now." Master Jotun said testily and hobbled to his office at the back of the stable.

"Father!" Kerk said, to which Master Jotun only grunted in response.

The three of them bowed respectfully at the stable master's back and set to work immediately. Together with the other stablehands, they led all the horses back to their respective stalls. Kerk led a few of the stablehands to gather the hay and feeding concentrates from the storehouse; Kelia delegated others to specific stalls for tack removal and brushing; while Yue attended to Yirlhil's daily maintenance and grooming.

As she led him to his spacious berth with a taller ceiling height to accommodate his wings, Yirlhil started to tug on his reins, reluctant to enter his stall. His restlessness was affecting the nearby stallions already in their stalls, knocking into stablehands who were busy brushing the lather off of their backs.

"Hey, now, whoa! Steady," Kelia said as she rushed over from the neighboring aisle, having heard of the commotion. Her eyes flashed a striking emerald, hands outstretched towards a particularly spooked black stallion. She walked cautiously into the stall and stood between him and the stablehand tending to him.

As Kelia dealt with the war stallions, Yue walked in front of Yirlhil and placed both hands on his huffing snout. She felt dwarfed by the pegasus' generous bulk. She looked into his eyes and channeled the calm of the Laisternian tributaries, its trickling streams from the Dragon Alps. His nervous energy dissipated slowly, wings flaring and resettling occasionally from residual anxiety. Yue smiled, mesmerized by the beauty and awareness in the pegasus' deep blue eyes.

The blue of the unpredictable Avi Hyian Sea, Yue imagined. A seaport nation on the other side of Westhania, Yue could hardly imagine the things Yirlhil have seen and experienced there. A song echoed in her mind then, a haunting melody of rough seas and singing sirens.

"Is he alright now?" Kelia's cautious whisper broke through the trance that Yue and Yirlhil seemed to be trapped in. Yue jerked from the shock, turning to see if the other girl heard the song too. It was so vivid.

As Kelia's eyes glowed faintly, Yue realized a second too late that she was attempting to check on Yirlhil's heart threads.

"No—" Yue reached a hand out to Kelia, but Yirlhil reared upwards then with his wings flared to the edges of the aisle, and let loose an angry whinny. He would have brained Yue with his front hooves if it wasn't for Kelia pulling her aside. Yue's heart jumped into her throat. The two girls had to scoot close to the stall doors to avoid the rampaging pegasus and the wind he stirred up. Kerk and the other stablehands ran over from the neighboring aisles, standing with shocked helplessness as the pegasus raged.

Master Jotun appeared at the other side of the aisle, his eyes blazing orbs of jade.

"Quiet!"

The authority and sheer power in that single word sent goosebumps across Yue's arms. Yirlhil continued to struggle, but as Master Jotun hobbled closer, his agitation started to calm again. The stable master's anger was a palpable storm as he approached Yirlhil. For a moment, Yue almost felt sorry for the poor thing.

He snapped his hand out in a vise grip and Yirlhil snapped to attention, breathing and heartbeat prisoners to the master's will. Master Jotun leaned in close to Yirlhil with his glowing emerald eyes, snarling to the wily beast.

"I will not tolerate you causing harm to my men nor any charge of mine in this stable anymore. If I were to come across another such incident, be assured you will find your sorry hide chained outside of the shelter of this stable come nightfall. Are we clear?"

Yirlhil snorted in fear and rebellion, but with another squeeze of the master's hand, he bowed his head in acquiescence.

Yue patted his flanks in sympathy. She took his reins again and led him towards his stall.

Things ran along smoothly after the commotion was settled. Yue and Kelia worked well as a team. They removed his harness, brushed his elegant mane and body and picked his hooves clean in record time. They helped Kerk and the other stablehands with the other war stallions, after which they took a break for their midday meal.

"I can't believe we still have to clean the hounds' cages, walk them, and take stock of the storehouses. Ugh," Kelia grumbled around a mouthful of ham and bread, sprawled out beside Kerk and Yue, the other stablehands sitting in a circle with them under the shade of maple trees a distance from the stable. They chuckled and chucked leftover pieces of crumbs at her.

"Don't be lazy, Mistress Kelia. We all take turns," Konpi pointed out at the other end of the circle.

Kelia grunted. She curled towards Yue.

"I'm going to take a quick nap. I'll see you later at sup then, Yue. Seems like we won't be able to get the scoop from my father before everyone else now."

"See me at sup..." Yue sat upright, glancing at the sky. Oh no, her history class! She completely lost track of time while lounging out in the sun. She pushed onto her feet and brushed her soiled white training robes. It will have to do.

"Thanks for the timely reminder, Kel," she said, trying to keep the sarcasm to a minimal but failing terribly. She bent to give a peck on Kelia and Kerk's cheeks and raced off towards the learning pavilion on the other end of the estate beside the Villa's central Lily Pavilion. She prayed Advisor Kol be held up at the luncheon with Concubine Pan-rin a little longer before she arrived, or she'd be sitting with Mu Zeng late into the night copying Scripture tenets all week.

Just the thought had Yue blanching and, holding her worn satchel and white headband that she had removed during her stable chores in her hands, picked up her pace. She was flying pass timber-decked outdoor corridors heading towards the Lotus Pavilion when she collided headfirst into robes of white and royal blue. The colors of the Upper Skarian Court.